Scottish Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate

These are my all-time favorite shortbread cookies ever! They are exploding with the goodness of real butter in every bite. These are fabulous on their own, with just 3 ingredients. Or drizzle with your favorite indulgence (chocolate, anyone?) Perfect, melt-in-your-mouth cookies for any occasion!

(Courtesy of Amy Dong)

Despite the daily reminders that winter isn’t going anywhere and we’re all feeling cabin fever, I really like February.

For one, it’s my baby’s birthday month. For another, the lovely month of February is a reminder of the people who are most important in our lives.

Once upon a time, Valentines Day with Hubby used to equal sauntering to fancy restaurants on February 14th, at exorbitant prices. That was BK (Before Kids) of course. Fast forward 12 years and 3 Littles later, we now do Valentines Day with a much deeper meaning. These past few years, we’ve been focusing on our family’s love for one another and God’s love for us.

The kids find love notes in their lunch boxes, and Mommy doesn’t forget to leave a sweet surprise for them to find in the morning. Not to be forgotten, Hubby and I pull out the stops in the kitchen and whip up a gourmet dinner for two, made to order. And, we still make plenty of sweet treats to share with others…

(Courtesy of Amy Dong)

Yep, Valentines Day is so much more than just candies and roses.

But I still include chocolate whenever I can, and V-day has to have some chocolate. Case in point: these shortbread cookies are melt-in-your-mouth fabulous, and really don’t need any adornment. They are scrumptious on their own, full of yum all by themselves. But chocolate goes with everything. So I had to dip half of the cookies in chocolate.

And these shortbread cookies will only set you back 3 ingredients. They couldn’t be easier. Make it 4 ingredients if you decide to dunk or drizzle with chocolate. However you make them, they’re guaranteed to be devoured immediately. These are pure shortbread bliss.

Enjoy!

Scottish Shortbread With Chocolate

These are the BEST, most melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies we’ve ever had! They take only 3 ingredients to make! Chocolate is optional, but nobody will complain if you include it.

Source: Chew Out Loud, inspired by allrecipes

Servings: 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 ½ cups all purpose flour, divided
• Semi-sweet chocolate for dipping, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and brown sugar. Using paddle attachment, mix until fluffy and light. Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and mix until combined.

On a large board, sprinkle 1/2 cup flour. Knead dough by hand for 5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to make a soft dough. The dough should end up soft and pliable, yet not sticky. You may or may not need to use up all the flour, depending on how your dough feels.

Form a ball, wrap tightly, and chill for about 30 minutes. Roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Either cut into 3x1 rectangular strips, triangles, or use cookie cutter for shapes. Place each cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Poke cookies with fork to design.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. If your shapes are smaller, bake less time. Bake longer for bigger shapes.

Cool completely on wire rack. If desired, melt chocolate and drizzle or dip to your heart’s content!

This article was originally published on chewoutloud.com. Follow on Instagram